Page 88 of A Star is Scorned
Flynn gave the reporter a sad little smile. “It means for the first time in my life, I was trying to do a good turn. Devlin was threatening to ruin the girl and her sister. I made a deal with him to keep their names out of the papers. Simple as that. Doesn’t mean I would’ve been a good husband. I made no such promise in that regard. I’ve been told I would make a lousy one, in fact.”
He gave Livvy a pointed look. She closed her eyes, furious with herself. How wrong she’d been. But she couldn’t simply take back her words. After how she’d treated him, did she expect him to embrace her and say all was forgiven? To take her in his arms and tell her that he was so relieved she’d come, because in truth the only person he wanted was her?
No. Her only intention had been to stop the wedding. To make sure Flynn didn’t have to sacrifice himself for her. Shehadn’t wanted that on her conscience. It shouldn’t be so crushing that her rescue hadn’t ended with some great love scene. That instead it was concluding with a harried escape and his invoking her words as the reason he had almost destroyed his life.
Suddenly, someone from the front of the church cried, “I think they went that way.” Their heads all snapped to see if they were about to be rushed by a crowd, but instead, there was only an older woman, her hat in disarray atop her head, barreling down the alley and gasping for breath. As she got closer, Livvy realized it was the woman she had guessed was Flynn’s mother.
“Mother?” Flynn asked, confirming Livvy’s assumption. “What are you doing?”
“Buying you time,” she huffed.
The woman clutched at her side as Flynn turned to their group. “Er, everyone this is my mother, Violet.” They all nodded and smiled their hellos.
She smiled back. “It’s nice to meet you. Especially you.” She beamed at Livvy. “But the meet and greet will have to wait. You’d all better get out of here. I told them the crowd you’d gone out on the opposite side of the church, but they’ll realize soon enough it was a lie.”
They sprang into action at her words, moving back to the car. But Flynn stopped before any of them could get in. “Aren’t you coming with us?”
“No,” she insisted. “I’ll keep trying to throw them off the scent.” A mass of people, what seemed to be at least half the population of the church, started to turn into the alley. Violet straightened her hat, steeled herself, and turned to head back toward the crowd.
“Mother,” Flynn called after her. Violet turned around, stilljogging backwards in the direction of the wedding-goers. “Thank you.”
A bright smile broke out on Violet’s face then. “My pleasure. And, son?”
“Yes?”
“Remember to always choose joy.”
Flynn smiled for the first time that day, before nodding at Livvy and Judy, who ducked into the car at his signal. “Walter,” he added. “I’ll give you the full story anytime you like. But right now, it’s high time I make like a runaway groom.”
“I’ll hold to you that.” The two men both looked at Devlin, who was starting to stir. “You better go. I’ll take care of him.”
Judy had already started the engine when Flynn slid into the back seat. He’d barely pulled the door closed when Judy peeled away, the car bouncing up and over a curb. Livvy’s thoughts were so scrambled that she wasn’t even sure where they were. But Judy drove confidently as Flynn ducked down, making sure no reporters or wedding guests spotted them as they made their getaway.
Once they were a few blocks away from the church, Flynn popped back up and stared out the back window, checking to see if anyone had tailed them. But the coast was clear. It was a beautiful December day in Hollywood, bright and brisk. The streets were relatively quiet, as if the city had yet to really wake up.
All too soon, the car approached the familiar entrance to the Garden of Allah apartments. “We thought no one would know to look for you here,” Judy told Flynn by way of explanation for their destination. “You can lay low here for a bit, and then one of us can drive you home.”
He made a gruff assent of thanks, and Livvy mourned the endof this little bubble of peace and quiet in his company. It hadn’t been enough. To just be with him. It would never be enough. But she’d held tightly to Judy for so long. She couldn’t do the same to Flynn. It wasn’t fair to him.
She had to learn to let go of the things she loved. Even if it broke her heart.
Chapter 31
When they pulled up to the shabby little apartment, Judy idled in the driveway. “Go ahead,” the kid said. “I just need to find something.”
Livvy opened her door and climbed out, and Flynn followed swiftly behind her, Rallo springing out after him. They’d have to call Lionel to come pick up the rascally primate. But no sooner was Flynn standing in the gravel driveway than Judy started to back up.
“Where are you going?” Livvy called.
“Need something at the store. I forgot!” Judy smiled and whipped the car around, peeling off with the urgency of someone who had intentions other than merely running an errand.
“Subtle,” Flynn chortled.
Livvy removed her wimple, loosing her raven-black curls, and Flynn was momentarily breathless at the way the sunlight caught her hair. “I’m sorry about her. She has a silly idea that this was going to have a romantic conclusion.”
Flynn tilted his head but didn’t speak. Livvy seemed so unsure of herself. It was cute, really. Would’ve been cuter if his heart wasn’t beating out of his chest.
“Want to go inside?” “Shall we take a walk?” they asked at the same time.
